Brake-beam.



.No. 727,218. I I PATBNTED MAY 5,1903

L. A. SHEPARD.

BRAKE BEAM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 1902.

m MODEL,

UNITED STATES Patented May 5, 1903.

PATENT QFFIQE.

LOUIS A. SHEPARD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CORNELIUS VANDERBILT, OF NEW, YORK, N. Y.

BRAKE-BEAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,218, dated. May 5, 1903.

Application filed September 9,1902. $erial No. 122,671. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that L, LOUIS A. SHEPARD,a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in BrakeBeams, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved form of brake-beam; and it consists in the features to hereinafter described and claimed.

' It has for its object the production of a brake-beam which is characterized by great strength combined with lightness.

In the drawings which accompany this specir5 fication, Figure 1 is a plan, and Fig. 2 a front view, of a brake-beam embodying my inven: tion. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken just inside the brake-head and looking toward the end of the beam.

The brake-beam is a truss, the compression member of which is a hollow tube, preferably circular in cross-section. The tension member may be a rod 2, as shown. The ends of the rod pass through apertures 3, formed in 2 5 the tube 1, and are sleeved in the ends of the tube. A central strut 4 is provided between the members 1 and 2, which may also be used as the fulcrum for the attachment of the brake-lever. This strut is formed of a block 0 9, which is sleeved or otherwise fitted upon the tube 1, a block 10, fitted upon the rod 2, and plates 11, secured to said blocks 9 and 10 by rivets 12. The plates 11 are perforated at 13 for the attachment of the brake-lever.

3 5 The ends of the rod 2 are threaded and project beyond the ends of the tube 1. This feature enables me to draw up the truss into a compact frame by means of tightening-nuts 5 bearing upon the ends of the tube 1, washers 6 being preferablyinterposed between said nuts and tube.

The rod 2 is preferably bent so that it extends in straight lines from the central strut 4 to the ends of the beam, as shown.

feature enables the rod 2 to be drawn up more tightly by the nuts 5 than it could otherwise be, for the reason that the tensional stress which the tightening-nuts cause to be applied to the rod acts in the direction of its length.

The ends of the tube 1 are bent at an angle to the main body thereof and are parallel to the ends of the rod 2. This construction forms a very strong truss, as the tensional stresses existing in the tension member act upon and are resisted by the ends of the compression member in the direction of their length. Furthermore, the ends of the truss are much less readily bent or broken when in use than if the ends of the compression member were straight.

The brake-heads 7 are sleeved upon the ends of the tube 1 andare held in position by the set-screws 8. This construction allows of rotary adjustment and also a slight lateral adjustment of the shoes. It is obvious that this manner of mounting the brake- .heads may be adopted whether the ends of the compression member are bent as shown,

or whether they are merely bent into line with each other, or whether they are not bent at all.

Various changes may be made in the structure illustrated without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is defined in the following'claims.

I claim- 4 1. A trussed brake-beam comprisinga compression member having hollow ends, a tension member and a strut, said tension mem- 8o ber being bent at its center and extending therefrom in straight lines to its ends, the ends of the compression member being bent parallel to the tension member, and the ends of the tension member being united thereto, substantially as described.

2. A trussed brake-beam, comprising a tubular compression member, a tension memher and a central strut, said tension member being bent at its center and extendingtherego from in straight lines to its ends, the ends of the compression member being bent parallel to the tension member and. the ends of the This tension member being sleeved therein, substantially as described. 5

3. A trussed brake-beam comprising a compression member having hollow ends, a tension member and a strut, said tension member being bent at its center and extending therefrom in straight lines to its ends, the

parallel to the tension member, the ends of the tension member being threaded and passing through the ends of the compression member, and tightening-nuts secured upon the ends of the tension member, substantially as described.

4. A trussed brake-beam comprising a tubular compression member, a tension member and a central strut, said tension member being bent at its center and extending therefrom in straight lines to its ends, the ends of the compression member being bent parallel to the tension member, the ends of the tension member being threaded and passing through the endsof the compression member, and tightening-nuts secured upon the ends of the tension member, substantially as described.

5. A trussed brake-beam comprising a compression member having hollow ends, a tension member and a strut, the ends of the tension member being sleeved within the ends of the compression member, and shoes sleeved upon the said compression-member ends and adjustable longitudinally thereon, substantially as described.

6. Atrussed brake-beam comprising a compression member having hollow endsfa tension member and a strut, the ends of the tension member being sleeved within the ends of the compression member, and shoes sleeved upon the said compression-member ends and adjustable longitudinally and rotatably thereon, substantially as described.

7. In a trussed brake-beam, a compression member having hollow ends, a tension member and a strut, said compression-member ends being bent and said tension member being under tension, and abutting against the compression-member ends, substantially as described.

8. In a trussed brake-beam, a compression member having integral hollow ends, a tension member and a strut, the ends of said compression member being parallel to the ends of the tension member, the ends of the tension member being sleeved therein and held under tension thereby, substantially as described.

9. In a trussed brake-beam, a compression member, a block 9 fitted thereon, a tension member, a block 10 fitted thereon, and plates 11 uniting said blocks and forming a strut, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of September, 1902.

LOUIS A. SHEPARD. 

